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Game Procedure (Page 2) The player carrying the ball is considered downed when one knee touches the ground. Tacklers use their hands and arms to stop opponents and throw them to the ground. After the ball carrier is stopped, the referee blows a whistle to stop play and places the ball on the spot where the runner was downed. Play also stops when the ball carrier runs out of bounds. A scrimmage (action while the ball is in play) then takes place. Before scrimmage begins, the team on offense usually gathers in a circle, called a huddle, and discusses the next play it will use to try to advance the ball. A coach either signals the play choice to the team from the sidelines, or the team's quarterback chooses from among the dozens of rehearsed plays in the team's repertoire. The defensive team
also forms a huddle and discusses its next attempt to slow the offense.
Each play is designated by code numbers or words, called signals. After
the teams come out of their respective huddles, they line up opposite
each other on the line of scrimmage. If the quarterback analyzes the
defensive alignment and decides that the chosen play should be changed,
the quarterback can call an audible and shout the coded directions for a
new play. Play begins when the center crouches over the ball and, on a
spoken signal, snaps it—generally to the quarterback—by handing it
between his legs. |
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